avoid this mistake when setting q3 newsletter goals

The end of Q2 is nearly upon us.

This quarter’s been a bit of a mad dash for me.

I’ve made good progress on some things…

But struggled to move the needle on others.

C’est la vie, I suppose.

One lesson I have learned though…

… Is not to let large chunks of time go by like this without regular reflection.

In fact, I find 90 days are a perfect interval for both backward & forward-looking assessments.

So I recommend you set aside 30-60 mins to do this over the next week.

As you review the last 90 days, ask yourself:

- What was my top priority this quarter?
- What did I optimize for this quarter?
- Are my current actions going to get me there?
- What lessons did I learn this quarter?
- What wins did I have this quarter?

Then, as you look ahead, ask yourself:

- What adjustments do I need to make?
- What are my targets for the next 90 days?
- What am I looking forward to next quarter?

This is not meant to be a definitive list.

You should develop your own list of personal review questions.

But answering those above will help you mine your Q2 experiences for wisdom.

Because wherever you’re at in your journey, I guarantee you there’s gold in them hills.

Now…

In setting goal(s) for your newsletter in Q3…

There’s one crucial mistake to avoid:

Focusing on outputs instead of inputs.

Inputs are within your control.

Outputs are not.

For example, instead of setting a goal to get your first 1,000 subscribers…

Reverse engineer the daily actions you think are necessary to hit that goal.

Then make that your target.

This could be posting on social media 5x per week…

Getting a paid ad campaign up and running…

Or doing newsletter swaps with other publishers.

The specific tactics don’t matter.

What does matter is doubling down on something YOU can control.

Then executing like hell to make it happen.

Jim Hamilton